Calling Northamptonshire’s street food traders – this is the business tool you need to reach the masses

Vanessa Anderson is the brain behind the unique Indi Local app, which makes it easier to find street food vendors and pop-up events in our county and beyond.

The initial concept was simple. Businesses and event organisers let the team know when and where they were going to be, and this information was presented as a map for users to explore and discover.

This project has been a labour of love and hard work since June 2023 and the Indi Local app launched at the end of May last year.

Vanessa has shared some exciting updates to Indi Local, which she and her team hope will have a positive impact on the reach of street food traders moving forward.

“We realised our messaging and focus needed to change,” said Vanessa. “We’d been helping to place food trucks at different locations, and wanted to create a business tool that matchmakes food trucks with event organisers.

“Indi Local was a map and now it is a service. The real problem we were trying to solve was helping food trucks get discovered, and that is now being done through digital business profiles on our app.

“Street food vendors can upload information about their business, their menu, upcoming schedule and locations, and their social media platforms. We’ve pivoted the focus.”

The evolution of Indi Local has also encouraged vendors to spread the word about their business profiles on the app, as they each have unique links to share with their customers.

Having received mentorship from the founder of Too Good To Go at the start of the year, Vanessa took his advice on board about what they already do and what they could try.

She and her team now have more capacity to help vendors with their marketing and link them up to event organisers and businesses who want to utilise their services.

Vanessa continued: “The map is still a key part, but we want this to be a valuable business tool and the map is now a bonus that can be shared with customers.”

The reaction to this change has been “really good” and the number of app visitors “exploded” after the team posted their first social media video about the recent evolution.

Helping to facilitate in-person events also remains a priority for the Indi Local team in 2025 – having recently assisted a group of international students from the University of Northampton to organise a food event in aid of the Hope Centre.

Not only is Indi Local committed to helping street food vendors develop their presence on the app through business profiles, but to connect them with the right people in-person too.

Looking to the rest of 2025, Vanessa concluded: “We are now looking to solidify ourselves as a sustainable business that benefits everyone involved. We’re looking to monetise what we are doing and expand beyond Northamptonshire.”

For more information on Indi Local, visit their website here.